Firstly I wish to thank Sarah Hardy of Book on the Bright Side Promotion and Publicity for inviting me on the Blog Tour for Annie Beaton’s Year of Positive Thinking by Mink Elliott.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

THIS YEAR I WILL:

Get a new job

Get a new man

Get a new LIFE!

It’s Annie Beaton’s 50th birthday! But instead of getting roses and perfume, she gets sacked, her son, Ben, tells her she’s growing a beard and her husband Joe tells her he wants a divorce.

Moving to the countryside to stay in her eccentric aunt’s house, Annie must find her mojo again – and fast. So when she discovers a stack of self-help books, Annie vows to use their advice – from Chicken Soup for the Soul to The Secret – to get her life back on track. Never mind that her 9-going-on-19-year-old daughter, Izzy, is currently engaging Annie in psychological warfare and her adorable 6-year-old son, Ben, spends more time wetting the bed than making friends at his new school…

But now, armed with a load of affirmations/inspirational quotes/positive vibes, Annie’s determined to kick her Crappy Old Year to the kerb and have a brilliantly Happy New Year. Just as soon as she’s had her chin waxed…

Well, when Annie turned fifty she thought it would mark a moment in her life, she was right, she was fired from her job and her husband Joe said he was leaving and wanted a divorce. I really felt sorry for Annie but as the story of her and her husband unfolded it became understandable. When Annie’s aunt offered her and her two young children her place to stay at, in the countryside while she was out of the country, she jumped at the chance.

So begins Annie Beaton’s year of positive thinking where she would turn something negative into something positive. Annie is, let me say, a little dippy, which gave the book some pretty hilarious situations. She continually moaned about the lack of money and I continually shouted get a job.

She has little common sense, getting a pedigree dog that she had time to train, a son that lacked reassurance and a daughter that needed to be treated like a nine-year-old, not an older sister. I had to laugh as the situations were very funny that she got herself into, she was learning, she was changing and she was finding herself.

The story spans over a year, everything has changed. It just took a lot of ‘positive thinking’ and a lot of hard work. There was more to Annie Beaton than I ever thought there was.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

HERE, IS A LITTLE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mink Elliott’s always been into writing – mainly about the ups and downs of family life. Her first novel, The Pissed-Off Parents Club chartered the first year in the life of an older new mum and the toll a baby takes – sorry, the joy a baby brings – and her second novel, Just Another Manic Mum-Day, dealt with trying to find yourself again amongst the chaos and clutter created by a wilful toddler when you’ve got another one on the way. Born in Manchester only to be teased mercilessly about ‘jam butties’ when her family moved to Adelaide when she was seven years old, Mink now lives with her daughter, son and bonkers Irish Setter in a small village in Berkshire. Like Annie Beaton, she tries to practise positive thinking and mindfulness but is more likely to be found mindlessly Hoovering up a packet (or two) of Tunnock’s Tea Cakes than square breathing.

Hi my name is Sue Hampson and as from today I am a Blogger, so here is a little about myself. I have always had a love of reading but it did escalate once I was bought a kindle. I read and listen to about 5 books per week but it is only over this last 18 months that I have realised how important reviewing is to other fellow readers and authors. I believe over time that my reviews have improved same as anything else you do regular. If I like an author's books I tend to buy everything they write, I never use unlimited on Amazon as I am a keeper of books and would hate to return them. I always respect that an author has spent months and months to produce a novel and I won't after taking a night to read it put up a terrible review. I would contact the author or publisher and say this novel isn't for me. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it but I have chosen badly.
I am not perfect, I never have been. I'm the one as a child that always walked into lamp posts and fell over. Mum tried to help and used to put me plasters on my knees before I went out to save me the trouble of coming back in . I have 5 grown up children and 9 grandchildren all which seem to have taken after me bless 'em to the extent that they have set up a joint chat page called Ma's bad Genes!
I love reading, I always have but my punctuation and grammar aren't the best but I do know a good story when I read it. That is what I review on the story.
I do reviews on Amazon.uk, Amazon.com, Goodreads, Netgalley, Twitter with links to publisher and author, my fb book page and Independent authors.
I love lots of genres Criminal Procedural, Mystery &Thrillers, Horror, Romance, Erotica and Fantasy. I do like variety. Feel free to contact me for further information anytime at susanhampson57@hotmail.co.uk